Creating tension in crime fiction

As part of my work, I am often hired to assess aspiring authors’ manuscripts and one of the recurring themes that crops up in the reports that I write is how to build tension.

Tension is crucial in crime fiction but howdo you create it? I always think the writer should:

* Put the reader in the situation. What does it feel like to be there?

* Use the things at their disposal - the senses, is a place cold, is it creepy, is it dark, does it smell rank, is your character affected by this: is a brave character suddenly scared, is a cool character panicky?

*Create a sense of immediacy. Make the reader feel the events. Focus on people and their feelings in order to make the reader feel as if he or she is there

* Create word pictures. Use imagery to write visually. Write the story as you see it

* But keep it simple - do not overdo it, not too flowery, nothing that will slow things down. Good writing relies on a judicious selection of detail.

* Use dialogue to set the pace. Good dialogue carries dramatic impact, advances the story and develop character

* Tension builds so write in spikes - tension, relax, tension relax. Incident, quieter passage, incident. As your story comes to an end, forego the quieter passage and build the tension to a crescendo.

I am preparing a new course and at the heart of it, as so often, will be the subject of characters.Creating strong characters – not necessarily strong people but well defined characters – is crucial because you can create the finest landscapes, the greatest stories, the most remarkable writing but you can not make your stories live unless you have characters. They are the vehicle that allow you to tell your story.A key consideration is that every character you create should have a job to do -…See More

I am delighted that the dates for the next creative writing course at Kirkudbright Galleries have been announced.Writing Course with Author John DeanJuly 19 @ 10:30 am - September 20 2019 @ 12:30 pm - £65 10 week block Kirkudbright Galleries, Kirkudbright, Dumfries and GallowayThe course will examine ways in which prose writers, be it those creating short stories or…See More